The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-08-16

cred In orange groves and palms and
surrounded by plantations OF sugar. indi-
go, and chocolate In the hill country.
to the northwest, coffee is the crop, and in
all sections maize and plsntains may be
produced IN any amount desirable. While,
| throughout the State, cattle raising Is
an important industry, the Department Of
! Chontales, across the lake from Riyas. is
one expanse OF grazing country. and the
same may be said Of the neghboring
province OF Liberia, in Costa Rica."
Describing the Island of Ometepec in
! Lake Nicaragua. which he suggests A
the place for the main hospital. the Doc
tor says
THE geological formation is, Of course,
yOlcanic-enOrmous blocks OF basalt. in
some places, cover the mountain side.
while near the lake on the northern or
Ometepec end there Il quite level land.
extending at some points as far as two
miles inland, and extremely fertile. go
"Of the mountains, MADEIRA has the
more aged appearance, with rugged out
line and ridged and shaggy sides. Dense
forests cover II, except where the rock
shows in few grim patches. There is
very little arabic land on this end OF the
island, the inhabitants being confined To
a few favorable spots near the lake. shore.
There il beautiful stream down the
north side OF the mountain. which. with
two small ones tn the local connecting
slip constitutes the only running water
on the island during the dry season
The volcano Omeiepec, according 10
my aneroid. Is 1880 feet high, some four
or five hundred feet more elevated than
MADEIRA Ii is very regular IN outline
in form, the model volcano Its gracefully
sloping sides fall with less abrupiness as
the lake is approached. until a tolerably
level plain ON the northeast, and another
on the southwest, form, respectively, the
districts OF Alta Gracia and Moyagalpa
This mOunta also is well wooded to the
top, except on The southwest size. where
about q third Of the way down from the
summit, the timber abruptly terminates
and grass N1H0s spread down towards the
shore
"The Np0s widen "a they descend,
until in the foothills they extend from
Moyagalpa on the north to Los Angeles
south Near the lake, around these vii
- anu N'N NM''h hAAilll - u II Ut VI NlA-
Bile land Of unsurpassed fertility CacaO
grows here with great luXuriance, aud
the planter can choose for his crop sugar
coffee. rice, cotton, or indigo, with All
the fruits of tropical America. But the
iayOrte productions are watermelOns and
tobacco which grow better than else
where in the republic
con then0rthcast -ide0f MADEIRA where
the broken and well-drained land goes To
the edge of the lake, the main hospital Of
theCompany should be- located, with an
adjunct pavilion at point on the noun
tain side sufficiently elevated to secure
bracing air and cold nights. Even near
the beach one or two blankets are found
comfortable during the dry season, AMI AT
an elevation of two thousand feet three
would not seem id trip. The island has
absolutely no swamp except the slip to
lrcward between the mountains; while the
casterly breeze comes thirty miles over
water rendering the introduction Of mala-
ria from the mainland impossible
"ln conclusion the writer, after nearly
three years more in Central and South
America, can only repeat what he said
four years ago, that after an experience
Of several years in tropical regions around
the world, he is convinced that most
Of the cases Of fearfulmortality recorded
Of expeditions in the tropics were the
result of gross ignorance and reckless
ness Men cannot live in Central America
as they would in New Y Iork nor can they
live in New York as they would at the
North Pole We believe that the obscr-
yaton of the simplest rules of health and
the exercise of little common sense
would to Il great extent rob hot climates
OF their terror